This keto cornbread has all the texture and flavor of the real deal! Bake it in a skillet for a crusty exterior and a soft, tender inside, or turn it into low carb muffins.
I’ve been low carb for so long that I genuinely do not crave bread anymore. But sometimes a piping hot slice of keto cornbread with butter melting on top is pure bliss. Pair it with a bowl of keto chili and you’re in comfort food heaven.
So if you love cornbread but want a healthier, low carb option, this is the recipe for you. Let’s get baking!
What readers are saying…
“I made this “cornbread” tonight and was pleasantly surprised. I’m a southern girl and love cornbread. I have tried other keto cornbread recipes with little success so I really wasn’t expecting to be as satisfied as I was!” — Elizabeth
Why you will love this bread
I have any number of bread recipes that I love, like keto focaccia and coconut flour bread. But this keto cornbread recipe is a family favorite. It goes so well with keto soups and chili.
I started making this one years ago when I was testing out coconut flour recipes. I made some vanilla cupcakes and the flavor reminded me very much of cornbread. Even my kids thought so. So I started playing around with it until I had both the taste and texture just right.
It has no grains and no sugar, nothing to set off the cravings, inflammation, or glucose response that real cornbread might induce. And yet it really satisfies the palate (and the tummy!) in a similar way. And with only 2.6g net carbs per serving.
Did I mention you can turn it into easy-to-grab cornbread muffins? And it makes fabulous keto stuffing too!
Ingredients you need
- Butter: Good cornbread deserves butter and plenty of it! I use salted in this recipe.
- Keto flours: I use a mix of coconut and almond flour, because it helps emulate the texture of real cornbread. While you can use all of one or the other, I really recommend following my recipe as written.
- Sweetener: Many people are surprised to see sweetener in cornbread. Let me point out that this is because real cornmeal has a sweet-ish flavor, even without anything added to it. If you don’t want to use it, feel free to skip.
- Xanthan gum: This helps hold the bread together a little better after baking. If you prefer, you can skip it. Just let the bread cool completely before slicing!
- Eggs: If you know anything about baking with coconut flour, you know you need all of these eggs!
- Flavoring: You do NOT need corn flavoring to make this taste like cornbread, in my opinion. But a lot of readers do love that addition.
- Add ins: This is where you can have a little fun, adding things like crumbled sausage or bacon, chopped jalapeño, or even cheddar cheese.
- Baking staples: Baking powder, salt.
How to make Keto Cornbread
- Butter the skillet: Add 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet and place it in the oven while it preheats.
- Combine the dry ingredients: IWhisk together the coconut flour, almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, butter, and cornbread flavoring (if using). Stir in the water.
- Stir in add-ins: Stir in the bacon and jalapeno or any other add-ins, if using.
- Bake: Spread the batter in the pan and bake until edges are golden brown and center is just firm to the touch.
To make cornbread muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a standard muffin tin with 12 parchment or silicone liners (no need to grease them, but don’t use paper liners).
- Prepare the batter as directed and divide between the muffins cups.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and just firm to the touch.
Expert Tips
You don’t have to use a cast iron skillet, but it creates a lovely brown crust. Any ovenproof skillet will do or cake pan will do. You can even use a pie plate, but if it’s glass or ceramic, the bread will take longer to bake.
How much water you need to add depends largely on your coconut flour. They can differ in absorbency so just add a bit of water at a time until it’s a thick but spreadable batter.
Remember to use an oven mitt when you remove your hot pan from the oven. Trust me, you do not want to forget this! Nothing ruins a day faster than a third degree burn on your hand.
Make sure you don’t over-bake the bread or it will become dry. Every oven is different and you need to check on it often. Once the edges are golden and the top is just firm to the touch, remove it right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornmeal is quite high in carbs and should be avoided on low carb and keto diets. But you can simulate the texture and flavor with a combination of coconut and almond flour. That may seem hard to believe but it works!
These keto cornbread recipe has 5.7g of carbs and 3.1g of fiber. That means it has 2.6g net carbs per slice.
Store the leftover bread in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the bread for several months.
Keto Cornbread
Ingredients
- 9 tbsp (127.82 g) butter, divided
- 3/4 cup (90 g) coconut flour
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum, (optional, but helps hold it together a bit more)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cornbread flavoring, (can sub vanilla, use 1/2 tsp)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (59.15 ml) water
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
- 2 medium diced jalapeños, optional, (leave in the seeds if you want more heat).
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and add 1 tbsp butter to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Place the pan in the oven as it preheats. Melt the remaining butter in the microwave or in a pan on the stove and let cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, and cornbread flavoring. Stir in 1/4 cup of the water. If the batter is still overly thick, stir in more water, a tablespoon at a time.
- Stir in the bacon and jalapeno, if using.
- Remove the hot skillet from an oven (don't forget to wear an oven mitt!) and brush the melted butter around the skillet.
- Spread the batter in prepared skillet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are golden brown and center is just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
Cornbread muffins:
-
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a standard muffin tin with 12 parchment or silicone liners (no need to grease them, but don’t use paper liners).
- Prepare the batter as directed and divide between the muffins cups.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and just firm to the touch.
Storage Information:
Store the leftover bread in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the bread for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I could totally eat this for dinner (though I should probably have it with a salad). I can almost smell it baking in my oven.
To me real food is food I can shove in my face and this NEEDS to be one of those things. My favorite cornbread stuffing recipe has sausage – and if I just make this I can eat any time!!
OMG, I would love to try this. Save some for me! I love Bob’s … (being an Oregonian myself). 🙂
Just looking at the picture of this great cornbread makes my tummy crazy. I always love new recipes. Thanks!
Wow, interesting little situation with the whole banana-less banana bread! I love how you incorporate real ingredients in all your recipes, I think a lot of people probably just have no idea. This “cornbread” looks incredible. I wish I was snacking on it right now!
This looks really good, and I want it with a soup shooter and a big ol’ greensy salad!
Ms. Lawson’s banana bread is real! Real bad for you. =))
Internet people live to get magnanimous about things they have no stake in. If they don’t have to eat low carb then they won’t want to understand. Your banana bread recipe is amazing. It’s one of my favorite low carb foods (sorry but bacon will always be #1)!
I think I can live with be second to bacon! 🙂
If it wasn’t for you and a few others making these ‘real’ recipies, I would have fallen off the lchf way a long time ago due to boredom. Thank you for taking the time to figure out such delicious ‘real’ recipes.
You’re welcome!
Is this considered a meal in it self or can it be eaten with a low carb soup!
I’d personally have it with something. We ate it with this soup: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/10/low-carb-chile-relleno-chicken-soup.html
Yum, I was wanting to try that soup recipe too! Thanks
Thank you Carolyn for another wonderful recipe!! Thank you Kate for info re: Sweet Corn Extract”. I didn’t know they make such a thing.
This looks excellent and like you, I’m a serious Bob’s Red Mill fan. Literally one half of my refrigerator’s top shelf is all BRM products, and has been for many, many years. My family calls it “Bob’s Shelf”. They have supported the low carb community LONG before it became mainstream, and I owe them my deepest gratitude.
I’ve found to get a real “corn flavor”, Nature’s Flavors Organic Sweet Corn Flavor Extract is amazing. If you haven’t tried it in low carb “cornbread” recipes or recipes you want to impart a corn flavor layer, I seriously recommend it. It’s reasonably priced and a little goes a long way. I bought mine online. I don’t know if links are permissible, so I won’t add it, but just search the name.
Thank you for this. One of the foods I really miss is corn. I have Type 2 diabetes and have found that it doesn’t wreck my sugar levels in small amounts. But it’s hardly worth it because the amount is so small that you hardly taste it. I’m going to try the extract you mentioned, once our house is finished and I have a kitchen again. 🙂
Strange comment on Nigella’s part, but admittedly before I had diabetes I didn’t know what it was and had no idea that bananas could be detrimental to anyone’s health. I used to look down on artificial sweeteners, claiming I would rather eat real sugar. Tables are turned on me now 🙂
Me too, Anna! And I cringe now when I think of the fun I made of Xanthan Gum when it was added to Breyers Ice Cream. “I only want things I would put in my own churn.” It was a very strange feeling when my little bottle of xanthan gum came in the mail. 🙂
I love the whole “real” thing. I get so annoyed when someone says a low carb recipe is as good as the “real” thing!
This looks wonderful! And since I work at Bob’s Red Mill, I really appreciate the shout out!
Haha, Hiya, Carrie! 🙂
I made a LC “cornbread” last spring which contained a few of those canned baby-corn-on-the-cob things — they add the true corn flavor and are mostly fibre. Wish i could remember the carb content, but it’s been too long!
I’m so happy you posted this right before Thanksgiving! I made your stuffing last year. I plan on making it again; maybe, I’ll use this bread as a sub.
That would be delicious! This one is very crumbly…a little like real cornbread actually!